The Cost of a Day of War

Any war is expensive. Three month projections show that the Persian Gulf War, with its high-tech gadgetry and round-the-clock bombing sorties, will be one of the most expensive ever. Estimates of just how costly it will be start in the double-digit billions and soar skyward from there.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated in early January that a war of longer than four weeks would cost around $87 billion--that amount added on to what would already be spent for defense and troop support around the world. Then, on Tuesday, White House Budget Director Richard G. Darman suggested that a three-month war would add $67 billion to existing defense costs.

Based on cost breakdowns in the CBO report and Darman’s more recent estimate, a Los Angeles Times analyis has concluded that the tab for the war is running at $744.3 million a day.

That figure takes into account various expenses that will continue after the war, such as maintaining an occupation force and extended medical care for disabled troops. Such costs are prorated into the daily figure. The numbers may also be inflated somewhat by the CBO’s worst-case projections on the number of warplanes and ships lost.

MILITARY PERSONNEL COSTS Raising and maintaining 150,000 reservists 400,000-plus troops receiving combat pay: Total: $70.4 million a day OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE COSTS Fuel, food, supplies and maintenance costs incurred by the war. Everything troops may require while posted overseas. Example: Base post offices, tents etc. Total: $130.3 million a day REPLACING WEAPONS Aircraft: $130.3 million a day Tanks: $78.2 million a day Ships: $33.0 million a day Total: $241.5 million a day MISSILES AND AMMUNITION REPLACEMENT Aircraft attacking ground targets: $26.0 million a day Ammunition for Army troops and Marines on the ground: $104.2 million a day Anti-aircraft missiles: $6.92 million a day Navy munitions: $10.4 million a day Total: $147.5 million a day MEDICAL CARE Immediate medical treatment and longer-term care and compensation Total: $33 million a day COST OF MAINTAINING TROOPS AFTER THE WAR Cost of any occupation force, pro-rated. Total: $121.6 million a day $31 million an hour $516,875 a minute $8,615 a second TOTAL: $744.3 million a day Exemples of replacement costs: Patriot missile: $500,000 F-14A Tomcat: $71.9 million M 109: $761,600 Source: Los Angeles Times; The Congressional Budget Office; Forecast International ’90.